Shurvon Phillip of Richmond Heights takes the reins from Sunny Jones, from left, Pam Helbling and Tom Rathbone, during the riders with disabilities portion of the Hunter Jumper Classic, Monday. Phillip participated in the carriage ride with help from Rathbone who is a volunteer and serves on the board at Fieldstone Farms.

Last October, Shurvon Phillip began hippotherapy at Fieldstone Farms in Bainbridge Township, hoping that his body could regain some of its mobility.

Hippotherapy is a physical, occupational and speech-language therapy treatment strategy that uses equine movement as part of an integrated intervention program to achieve functional outcomes.

Phillip lost almost all of his mobility eight years ago while serving in the U.S. Marines when an improvised explosive device exploded beneath the Humvee in which he was riding.

Doctors soon after told his mom, Gail Ulerie of Richmond Heights, that her son would permanently be in a vegetative state.

Advertisement

"With doctors, they have to give you the worst scenario, but you have to look for the positives," Ulerie said. "You have to believe and have hope."

Ulerie has watched her 33-year-old son's progress over the years and admits it is slow. Phillip can only communicate with an interpretative yes or no by blinking and shrugging eyebrows. But Ulerie said she sees signs of improvement and horse riding has expedited Phillip's recovery.

With his wheelchair lifted and strapped onto a carriage, Phillip rides a half hour every Monday at Fieldstone Farms, at 16497 Snyder Road.

After his third week of hippotherapy, Phillip didn't need the head rest on his wheelchair because he had built enough upper-body strength to straighten his neck.

And Monday, Phillip's reflexes and control over his horse outmaneuvered three of six competitors to take third place at the Chagrin Valley Hunter Jumper Classic in Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field.

The 14-day horse show in Moreland Hills dedicated its Monday contests to 58 riders with varying levels of mental and physical challenges.

Some are recovering from physical injuries like Phillip. Some face emotional grief of losing a loved one.

Sydney's mother, Jessica Corcoran of Auburn Township, said her daughter was diagnosed with the disease after an adverse reaction to a vaccine.

Ataxia affects parts of a person's nervous system and compromises that person's balance and coordination.

Jessica started Sydney on hippotherapy at Fieldstone Farms a year and a half ago after she watched another girl's recovery online using the treatment.

"If she didn't have the help here, somebody even said she probably wouldn't even be walking," Corcoran said.

"That is a very scary thought."

Exactly how could riding a horse improve someone's ability to walk? Because despite having four legs, horses mimic the motion of how humans walk, said Elizabeth Krouse, marketing specialist for Fieldstone Farms.

"You can sit on a horse and the horse feeds input to your brain that says, 'This is how you walk, brain,' " Krouse said.

Sydney competed in two beginner competitions Monday and took home first- and second-place ribbons, the same ribbons she won last year in her first riding competition at the Hunter Jumper Classic.

Jessica said horse therapy isn't just about physical improvements. It also lifts her daughter's spirits.

"Her sister plays softball," Jessica said.

"She may never play softball, but her sister may never ride, and she's a natural. She just happened to be a natural rider."